24 protesters killed, injured in attempt to break into police station in Diyala

Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Twenty-four protesters were killed and injured in Khanaqin during shootout by security troops, as members of Kurdistan Democratic Party were attempting to break into Federal Police station, an informed source said on Thursday.

“Several members of the KDP gathered in Khanaqin in a protest outside a police station to voice demands of handing over security to Peshmerga,” the source told Alghad Press on Thursday. “The shooting started as the members attempted breaking into police station.”

“Number of wounded protesters has reached up to 23 wounded, in addition to a victim killed during the confrontations,” the source added.

On Tuesday, Iraqi government forces recaptured Khanaqin within wide-scale operations to regain areas disputed with Kurdistan Region.

Baghdad had declared intentions to reclaim control over regions disputed with Erbil in response to Kurdistan’s independence vote in September.

Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

A monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), which excludes security members deaths, said 196 civilians were killed, while 381 others were wounded due to violence and armed conflicts during the month of September. The fatalities included 10 foreign nationals. Baghdad was the most affected province with 37 deaths and 157 injuries. Dhi Qar province came in the second place with 82 killed and 93 injured. Anbar came in the third place with 20 killed and 46 injured.

The Iraqi capital has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary troops and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake Islamic State-occupied areas in 2016.